State police continue extra patrols for Thanksgiving holiday

State police have assigned extra patrols over the Thanksgiving weekend in an effort to combat drunken and aggressive driving.

From midnight on Wednesday to 4:15 Friday afternoon, state police made 896 arrests for speeding, 49 seat belt arrests and 1,735 arrests for moving violations that included using a cellphone while driving, making an unsafe lane change, failure to use a turn signal and following too close.

There were 32 drunken driving arrests made during that time period, police said. There were 217 accidents, 25 of which resulted in injuries. There had been no highway fatalities.

State police will continue to patrol all roads and highways across the state until midnight on Sunday and will conduct sobriety checkpoints and targeted DUI patrols.

Police will also continue the preventive enforcements through the end of the 2012 holiday season.

As of 4:15 p.m. Friday, there were 5,569 calls for State Police service.